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. Another round of strong to severe thunderstorms are possible ahead of a cold front this afternoon into early evening. The primary concerns from any stronger storms are damaging wind gusts and excessive rainfall.
2. Much cooler temperatures filter into the region Wednesday and fall below normal into Thursday. A few pockets of rainfall possible before drier conditions develop by Friday.
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SPONSORSHIPS
WEATHER SPONSOR
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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. Areas of fog this morning. A chance of thunderstorms with a slight chance of showers this morning, then showers with thunderstorms likely this afternoon. Highs in the upper 70s. Light and variable winds. Chance of rain 90 percent.
.TONIGHT....Mostly cloudy with showers likely with a chance of thunderstorms in the evening, then partly cloudy after midnight. Patchy fog after midnight. Lows around 60. Light and variable winds. Chance of rain 60 percent.
.WEDNESDAY....Patchy fog in the morning. Showers in the afternoon. Highs around 70. Light and variable winds. Chance of rain near 100 percent.
.WEDNESDAY NIGHT....Showers likely. Lows in the mid 50s. East winds around 5 mph. Chance of rain 70 percent.
.THURSDAY....Partly sunny. Showers likely in the afternoon. Highs in the upper 60s. East winds around 5 mph in the morning, becoming light and variable. Chance of rain 70 percent.
.THURSDAY NIGHT....Mostly cloudy. Showers likely in the evening. Lows in the mid 50s. Chance of rain 70 percent.,TODAYMostly cloudy. Areas of fog this morning. A chance of thunderstorms with a slight chance of showers this morning, then showers with thunderstorms likely this afternoon. Highs in the upper 70s. Light and variable winds. Chance of rain 90 percent.
HAZARDOUS WEATHER
A few strong to severe storms are possible during the afternoon and early evening hours with damaging winds being the main threat. Heavy downpours will also be possible which could lead to localized flooding.
Thunderstorms are possible at times from Tuesday through Thursday. Isolated strong to severe storms are possible Tuesday. Damaging wind gusts and locally heavy rainfall are the primary hazards.
POLLEN REPORT
Pollen levels are expected to be in the low-medium (4.1 out of 12) today with Ragweed, Chenopods, and Grasses being the main culprits. Tomorrow is expected to be in the low range (0.7 out of 12.0)
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MACON CALENDAR
(send your event to editor@maconmedia.com)
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
Friends of the Greenway would like to invite you to FROG FAIR, our Fall arts & crafts show and music festival on September 19, 2026 from 10-4 at the Greenway Visitor Center/FROG Quarters, 573 E. Main St, Franklin (at the Town bridge). We are providing an outlet for 45 area artists and crafters to showcase their wonderful items for your shopping pleasure! As a fund raiser event for FROG, we collect a vendor registration fee and sell breakfast and lunch items. Area musicians will donate their time and talent throughout the day. Mark your calendar and come enjoy the day. Hope to see you on Sept. 19.
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 91°F in Franklin in 1955
Lowest Temperature 29°F in Highlands in 1918
Greatest Rainfall 3.10 inches in Highlands in 1898
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
Verizon strengthens network after Helene | WLOS-TV (Asheville), NC
• Rescued food from PGA TOUR event will provide 8,000 meals in western North Carolina [WLOS-TV Asheville, NC ]
• Two years after Helene, recovery remains unfinished across WNC [Asheville Citizen-Times]
• County to continue without data center moratorium [The Franklin Press]
• 25 years of caring: Pregnancy Care Center celebrates milestone, looks to the future [Macon Sense]
• HCA CEO pledges to do better at Mission in closed-door meeting [Asheville Watchdog ]
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NC News
Vice President JD Vance headlines GOP midterm rally in North Carolina | WTVD-TV (Durham, NC)
• Is NC’s ban on ballot selfies unconstitutional? State officials defend the rule in court [WRAL-TV (Raleigh, NC)]
• JD Vance makes pitch to undecided voters, bashes Roy Cooper at NC midterm rally [Raleigh News & Observer]
• Purple Primer: Your Guide to the 2026 Elections in North Carolina [NC Local]
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National News
ABC World News Tonight with David Muir - Sept. 22, 2026 | ABC News
NBC Nightly News with Tom Llamas Full Episode - Sept. 21 | NBC News
Washington Today (9-21-26): Politico, CNN & MSNOW sue over WH ban & WH pool suspended in solidarity | C-SPAN
• White House Launches Trump TV Amid Media Ban: What We Know [Newsweek Magazine]
• Trump move to ban news outlets blows up at White House [The Hill]
• Messy, troubled, unpredictable: Diplomats describe a world in turmoil as UN opens annual meeting [AP News]
• More news organizations join pushback against White House in support of outlets banned by Trump Yahoo News]
Trump says Russia has “lost control” of diesel industry | World News Tonight | TVP World
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World News
What the Ship | Sector Analysis: Containers, Tankers, Bulk & Car Carriers | SLNC York & Starship 40 | What's Going on With Shipping?
Canada could become first 'associate member' of the EU | BBC News
• S. Korea, France stage joint air drills to enhance interoperability [Yonhap News Agency]
• The 28th state? Carney's Canada draws closer to European Union [France 24]
• US troops must prepare to fight around the moon, Trump’s top military adviser says [AP News]
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Iran War News
Is Trump pushing Canada to cut its trade dependence on the US? | DW News
• Iran Update, September 14, 2026 [Institute for the Study of War]
• Iran war live: 54 Saudi air strikes target Houthis as Yemen fighting rages [AL Jazeera]
• Live Updates: Saudi Arabia turns to Western allies for assistance as fight against Houthis continues [Jerusalem Post]
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Russo-Ukraine War
Russian strike on train "terror knocking on EU's door' | France 24 English
Russian helicopter couldn't save the tanker | Military Mind | TVP World
• Russian Offensive Campaign Assessment, September 14, 2026 [Institute for the Study of War]
• NATO pledges more Ukraine support after Russia strikes near Poland [Al Jazeera]
• Trump calls on Ukraine to halt strikes on Russian diesel fuel, citing a global shortage [AP News]
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Financial News
Market Close: Fed Raises Rates, Signals More Hikes Ahead; Stocks Fall • 9/16/26 | CNBC Television
FOMC Press Conference, September 16, 2026 | Federal Reserve
Trump Calls for Lower US Rates After Fed's Warsh Delivers Hike | Daybreak Europe 9/9/2026 | Bloomberg Television
• Trump slams the Fed rate hike, says he told Warsh 'you might as well vote with the board' [Yahoo Finance]
• Pentagon reveals $33.4 billion Iran war bill and ‘strategic’ weapons shortfalls [CNBC]
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Science News
Something Huge is Making Our Entire Galaxy Ripple | Anton Petrov
• Europe launches two Earth-observation satellites amidst a busy week for China [Astronomy Magazine]
• TWiV 1356: Clinical update with Dr. Daniel Griffin [Microbe TV]
• TWiV 1357: Furin, Naturally with Paul Bieinasz [Microbe TV]
• Don't Get Your Hopes Up for a City on the Moon [Universe Today]
• Cancer is rising in younger adults. Faster biological aging may help explain why [ScienceDaily]
• This Week's Sky at a Glance, September 11 – 20 [Sky & Telescope Magazine]
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Technology News
The Level1 Links with Friends Show September 15 2026: Flock Snitch Knishes
• For the first time, the US military confirms it has deployed weapons in orbit [Ars Technica]
• Scientists Warn This Year’s El Niño Could Create Brand New Extreme Weather Patterns [Gizmodo]
• Rightsholders Can’t Use OpenAI and Anthropic to Dismantle Meta’s Seeding Defense [Torrent Freaks]
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Interesting Videos
Alexander the Great - All Battles and Conquests EXPLAINED in 6 Hours | Kings and Generals
Space Habitats: The Strangest Worlds We Could Build | Astrum
Why The CIA Created Pokémon Go | Patrick Cc:
SpaceX Go All-In On Building The Biggest Spaceport In History | Fraser Cain
Why You Can't Run the Government Like a Business | The Dispatch
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CRYPTO & AI NEWS
Gold: Seeking a Low | Benjamin Cowen
Wall Street Is BUILDING the Dollar on CRYPTO Infrastructure | Coin Bureau
• Banks Want More: Trade Groups Demand Stricter Stablecoin Limits in Clarity Act [Decrypt]
• CLARITY Act odds fall to 16% as key Democrats resist GOP’s ‘final’ offer [Coin Telegraph]
• Coinex Is Closing After 9 Years, and Its Founder Won't Sell It [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 22, 2026
Author: Bobby Coggins
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