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. Hot and muggy conditions continue for most of this week. Relief may arrive by next weekend.
2. Dry conditions continue on Tuesday. Isolated showers and a few storms can`t be ruled out over the NC mountains each afternoon this week, but coverage and intensity should remain limited.
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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. Sunny. Highs in the mid 80s. North winds around 5 mph this morning, becoming light and variable.
.TONIGHT....Mostly clear. Areas of fog after midnight. Lows in the mid 60s. Light and variable winds.
.WEDNESDAY....Sunny. Widespread dense fog in the morning. Highs in the upper 80s. North winds around 5 mph in the morning, becoming light and variable.
.WEDNESDAY NIGHT....Mostly clear. Lows in the upper 60s. Light and variable winds.
.THURSDAY....Sunny. A chance of showers and thunderstorms in theafternoon. Highs in the mid 80s. Light and variable winds. Chance of rain 30 percent.
.THURSDAY NIGHT....Mostly clear. Lows in the upper 60s.
HAZARDOUS WEATHER
Scattered to numerous thunderstorms are expected across portions of the area during the afternoon and evening hours this weekend. Heavy rainfall may lead to localized flash flooding each day. Afternoon thunderstorms are expected to be isolated in coverage through Thursday.
The heat index may approach hazardous levels for parts of the area through Thursday.
Hot and muggy conditions return for early next week.
POLLEN REPORT
Pollen levels are expected to be n the medium-high (9.2 out of 12) today with Ragweed, Chenopods, and Grasses being the main culprits. Tomorrow is expected to be in the medium-high range (8.6 out of 12.0)
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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 95°F in Franklin in 1951
Lowest Temperature 40°F at the Coweeta Experimental Station in 1946
Greatest Rainfall 5.80 inches in Highlands in 1893
Record weather events for September in Macon County
Highest Temperature 98°F in Franklin on Sep 4, 1975
Lowest Temperature 27°F in Franklin on Sep 30, 1967
Greatest Rainfall 11.87 inches in Highlands on Sep 29, 1964
Greatest Snowfall no measurable snowfall has been recorded since records started being kept in 1873
Weather Extremes for North Carolina for the month of September
Highest Temperature 108°F Belhaven, Beaufort County Sep 25, 1921
Lowest Temperature 23°F Marion, McDowell County Sep 28, 2000
Greatest One-Day Rainfall 21.04 in Elizabethtown, Bladen County Sep 30, 2018
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WNC News
Global finance leaders converge on Asheville for G20 meetings (Complete coverage) | WLOS-TV (Asheville), NC
• G2O, Day 3: An inside look as financial leaders talk about Asheville, Helene resiliency [WLOS-TV Asheville, NC ]
• Roadless areas crucial to wild WNC character, sportspeople say [Asheville Citizen-Times]
• Special feature: A mission to save forgotten women [Macon Sense]
• Watchdog, other selected media denied access to cover G20 finance summit [Asheville Watchdog ]
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NC News
Asheville hosts 4-day G20 global Finance Track meeting | WTVD-TV (Durham, NC)
• After WRAL report, RPD confirms it has corrected 'active user' mix-up in Flock accounting system [WRAL-TV (Raleigh, NC)]
• NC’s Dan Driscoll resigns Army leadership role as tension grows with Pete Hegseth [Raleigh News & Observer]
• The Trump administration wants to roll back the Roadless Rule, which protects more than 170,000 acres of public land in NC. Here’s what the change could mean for North Carolinians. [NC Local]
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National News
ABC World News Tonight with David Muir - Aug. 31, 2026 | ABC News
NBC Nightly News with Tom Llamas Full Episode - Aug. 31 | NBC News
• Chief justice dissents on ballroom construction: ‘No victory for separation of powers’ [The Hill]
• Rescuers saved some 80 people in Grand Canyon floods that left 2 dead and 1 missing, officials say [AP News]
• Guilty verdict in 1996 murder of Tupac Shakur Yahoo News]
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Dolly Parton
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World News
Why the U.S. Military Just Activated the Training Ship Empire State VII to Sail to Diego Garcia | What's Going on With Shipping?
More than 900 people killed in Nepal-Tibet flood | BBC News
• S. Korea's spy agency notes possible signs of U.S.- N. Korea dialogue [Yonhap News Agency]
• Nepal disaster: fake and AI images flood social media as deaths mount [France 24]
• This principal in Nepal evacuated 900 students before flooding swept away their school [AP News]
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Iran War News
Analyst says Iran has 'foot on our economic throat' as US renews strikes | AP News
• Iran Update, August 31, 2026 [Institute for the Study of War]
• Iran war live: Trump vows to strike Iran ‘hard’ after first clash in month [AL Jazeera]
• Live Updates: Trump dismisses possibility of nuclear weapon use, as JD Vance calls Iran leadership 'crazy' [Jerusalem Post]
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Russo-Ukraine War
Ukraine’s Zaporizhzhia nuclear plant on emergency power as diesel runs low | DW News
Putin is in trouble, and that makes Russia more dangerous | Jan Lipavský | TVP World
• Russian Offensive Campaign Assessment, August 31, 2026 [Institute for the Study of War]
• US brings back Russia’s Siluanov to G20 finance talks, angering Europe [Al Jazeera]
• Russia’s jet-powered drones bring empty Kyiv supermarket shelves and rattle Ukrainians [AP News]
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Financial News
Market Close: Stocks End Day Lower But Month Higher, Iran War in Focus, FTC Sues Amazon • 8/31/26 | CNBC Television
Higher Oil Hits Risk Sentiment, Nvidia CEO Exclusive | The Asia Trade 9/1/2026 | Bloomberg Television
• Federal Trade Commission and 22 states sue Amazon over inflated advertising prices [Yahoo Finance]
• Venezuela grants U.S.-backed oil firm NABEP 100-year concessions for 17 oil fields, White House says [CNBC]
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Science News
Did Physicists Miss a 5th Force? | Arvin Ash
• How Roman will unlock the universe [Astronomy Magazine]
• TWiV 1352: Clinical update with Dr. Daniel Griffin [Microbe TV]
• TWiV 1353: Phage bet-hedging and EBV antibodies [Microbe TV]
• Mars's Interior is 400°C Hotter Under Southern Hemisphere [Universe Today]
• NASA’s Swift telescope is back, but time is running out [ScienceDaily]
• This Week's Sky at a Glance, August 28 – September 6 [Sky & Telescope Magazine]
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Technology News
The Little Ceiling Robots Inside a Semiconductor Fab| Asianometry
• Trump admin shelves Cyclospora research despite record-breaking outbreak [Ars Technica]
• Little Florida Memo Could Have Big Impacts on Flock Cameras [Gizmodo]
• Take-Two Says GTA 6 Leak Probe Is “Rapidly Evolving,” Wants New Discord Demands Under Seal [Torrent Freaks]
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Interesting Videos
The Battle That Changed the Middle East - Ottomans Broke the Mamluks | Kings and Generals
Going Ballistic - The Ballistic Missile Resurgence From Ukraine to Iran & the Pacific | Perun
We Stopped Going To The Moon For A Very Good Reason | Lightning Round | Joe Scott
Why You Can't Run the Government Like a Business | The Dispatch
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CRYPTO & AI NEWS
Bitcoin Stalls at the 50 Week Moving Average | Benjamin Cowen
The Financial System Is BREAKING. Bitcoin Isn’t | Coin Bureau
• As Public Fury Mounts, Texas Pulls the Plug on Flock Surveillance Funding [Decrypt]
• Bitcoin begins volatile monthly close as US bond yields eye new 20-year high [Coin Telegraph]
• Apple's Bitcoin Strategy Will Depend on More Than John Ternus [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, September 01, 2026
Author: Bobby Coggins
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