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. Dry weather expected for the next seven days. Temperatures are expected to cool down below normal for the weekend, but should climb back to around normal by the middle of next week.
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SPONSORSHIPS
WEATHER SPONSOR
The weather is being sponsored by the Caleb for NC Campaign. Caleb is running for the NC House in District 120. Read more about his campaign at https://calebbrownfornc120.com. 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....Sunny. Highs in the mid 60s. East winds around 5 mph this morning, becoming light and variable.
.TONIGHT....Mostly clear. Lows in the upper 30s. Southeast winds around 5 mph.
.SATURDAY....Sunny. Highs in the mid 60s. East winds around 5 mph.
.SATURDAY NIGHT....Mostly clear. Lows in the upper 30s. East winds around 5 mph.
.SUNDAY....Sunny. Highs in the mid 60s. East winds around 5 mph.
.SUNDAY NIGHT....Clear. Lows in the upper 30s.
HAZARDOUS WEATHER
Low relative humidity could result in fires getting out of control this afternoon, so please exercise care when burning outdoors.
SPACE WEATHER FORECAST
Hazardous space weather is not in the current forecast. [LINK] https://spaceweather.com/archive.php?view=1&day=23&month=10&year=2026
POLLEN REPORT
Pollen levels are expected to be in the low-medium range (3.3 out of 12) today with Ragweed, Chenopods, and Grasses being the main culprits. Tomorrow is expected to be in the low-medium range (3.3 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 OCTOBER 2026
11a to 1p at Friends of the Greenway, Inc.
573 E Main St, Franklin, NC 28734
contact: frog28734@gmail.com; 828-369-8488
TBA
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 82°F in Franklin in 1978
Lowest Temperature 20°F at the Coweeta Experimental Station in 1952
Greatest Rainfall 2.64 inches at the Coweeta Experimental Station in 1882
Greatest Snowfall (no measurable snowfall recorded on this date)
Record weather events for October in Macon County
Highest Temperature 91°F in Franklin on Oct 5, 1954
Lowest Temperature 12°F in Highlands on Oct 30, 1910
Greatest Rainfall 1.0 inches in Highlands on Oct 4, 1964
Greatest Snowfall 1.0 inches in Highlands on Oct 20, 1913
Weather Extremes for North Carolina for the month of October
Highest Temperature 103°F in Wadesboro, Anson County on Oct 3, 2019
Lowest Temperature 8°F in Banner Elk, Avery County on Oct 21, 1952
Greatest One-Day Rainfall 12.53 in Lumberton, Robeson County on Oct 8, 2016
Greatest Snowfall 11.0 inches in Mount Mitchell, Yancey County on Oct 25, 1990
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WNC News
Can anyone see if you've already voted in NC? | WLOS-TV (Asheville), NC
• Driver faces multiple charges, including DWI, after fatal wrong-way I-26 crash [WLOS-TV Asheville, NC ]
• Word from the Smokies: New field guide demystifies mushrooming [Asheville Citizen-Times]
• Local physicians dropped from Humana Medicare Advantage plans [The Franklin Press]
• Holbrooks fires deputy for improper use of license plate reader [Macon Sense]
• NC attorney general creates new complaint tool for gas tax cheats [ The Mountaineer ]
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NC News
Flock cameras in NC: Who can access license plate reader data and how is it protected? | WTVD-TV (Durham, NC)
• Could election betting skew NC voters’ expectations? New study raises concerns ahead of midterms [WRAL-TV (Raleigh, NC)]
• Phones? Buttons? Guns? What you may and may not bring to cast your vote in NC [Raleigh News & Observer]
• Purple Primer: Your Guide to the 2026 Elections in North Carolina [NC Local]
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National News
Is the AI Bubble About to Burst? New Financial Risks Exposed | Yahoo Finance
Woman charged with threatening Trump: ABC World News Tonight with David Muir - Oct. 22, 2026 | ABC News
NBC Nightly News with Tom Llamas Full Episode - Oct. 22 | NBC News
Washington Today (10-22-26): Rep. AOC campaigns for ME Dem Sen nominee | POTUS defends OH GOP ad | C-SPAN
• Trump says he recommended "powerful" Ramaswamy ad featuring Amy Acton's estranged mother stay up [CBS News]
• Trump announces he’ll use Defense Production Act to increase domestic gas production [The Hill]
• Mississippi releases video showing fatal shooting of 1-year-old boy by police officer [AP News]
• 'This is despicable': Amy Acton responds to Ohio attack ad featuring her estranged mother Yahoo News]
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Financial News
Treasury Counselor David Zervos: Energy shock, not sticky inflation, driving yields | CNBC Television
OpenAI Trims Target Value & Volvo Cars Cuts 2,500 Jobs | Bloomberg Daybreak Europe 10/23/2026 | Bloomberg Television
• Trump and Crypto Firm Sued for Profiting From Foreign Government [Yahoo Finance]
• Elon Musk invests about $1 billion in Skydance [CNBC]
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World News
Yemen’s humanitarian crisis deepens following Houthi strikes on Saudi Arabia | BBC News
Ship Talk: The 1904 Steamboat Fire That Wiped Out a NYC Neighborhood | What's Going on With Shipping?
Curfew imposed in certain areas of Paris every night until Monday morning | FRANCE 24 English
• N. Korea likely planted 960,000 land mines along inter-Korean border since 2024: lawmakers [Yonhap News Agency]
• Live: Macron meets with student representatives and law enforcement ahead of new protests [France 24]
• In India, police shootings of alleged cow smugglers raise alarm about impunity and bias [AP News]
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Iran War News
Ahead of US and Israeli elections, 3-day joint attack on Iran 'would not radically change conflict' | DW News
• Why Iran Escalates: Tehran’s Strategy to Drive America Out of the Middle East [Foreign Affairs]
• Trump administration offers mixed messages on limits to Ukraine’s Starshield access [AP News]
• Iran Update, October 22, 2026 [Institute for the Study of War]
• Iran war live: European, Middle East FMs in Istanbul for security talks [AL Jazeera]
• Live Updates: Trump accuses Iran of faking strikes, Huckabee questions BoP's ability to execute Gaza peace plan [Jerusalem Post]
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Russo-Ukraine War
Is Trump trying to end the war in Ukraine, or helping Putin win it? | DW News
Putin got compliments. Kyiv got cluster munitions | World News Tonight | TVP World
• Trump administration offers mixed messages on limits to Ukraine’s Starshield access [AP News]
• The Chokepoint Trap: How the Search for Economic Security Will End in Geopolitical Calamity [Foreign Affairs]
• Russian Offensive Campaign Assessment, October 22, 2026 [Institute for the Study of War]
• Trump says Musk restored Ukraine’s Starlink access amid Russia war [Al Jazeera]
• Germany arrests Ukrainian man suspected of spying for Russia [DW News]
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Science News
We Can’t See These Black Holes. But These Ghost Particles Can | PBS Space Time
• Mars’ moon Phobos is destined to become a ring [Astronomy Magazine]
• TWiV 1366: Clinical Update with Dr. Daniel Griffin [Microbe TV]
• TWiV 1367: Turning Off Hepatitis B Virus Without Cutting its DNA [Microbe TV]
• Neutrinos May Be The Key To Why We Are Surrounded By Matter [Universe Today]
• Massive study of 460,000 people challenges ultra-processed food cancer fears [ScienceDaily]
• This Week's Sky at a Glance, October 16 – 25 [Sky & Telescope Magazine]
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Technology News
The Future of Elections: Who Votes, How We Vote, and What Comes Next | Isaac Arthur
This Developer REMADE An Adobe Product Using AI! (Can Every App Be Open Source?) | Educative
• Meta shocked by $25B fine after N.M. refused to join multistate settlement [Ars Technica]
• Report: Dutch Spies Hacked Jared Kushner’s iPhone, Watched Him Use Sleazy Middle Eastern Slush Fund [Gizmodo]
• ‘VPNs at Risk’: Tech Coalition Pushes Back on Piracy Blocking Duties for VPNs [Torrent Freaks]
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Interesting Videos
The Forgotten Viking War That United England | Kings and Generals
The Theranos Trap | Hank Green
How Are Americans Affording $80,000 Trucks on $70,000 Salary | The Infographics Show
The Strange Case for Dark Matter Aliens with Daniel Whiteson | Event Horizon
Going Beyond Hubble and Roman to Find Planets With Atmospheres | Fraser Cain
New York City 4K LIVE Manhattan on Thursday Evening (October 22, 2026) | The NYC Walking Show
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CRYPTO & AI NEWS
Bitcoin Bull Market Support Band | Benjamin Cowen
The Rise and Fall of Crypto's Flashiest Founder | Coin Bureau
• Is the Internet Safe Again After the PHP Nightmare? What You Need to Know [Decrypt]
• Bitcoin Core changes security policy as AI makes bugs easier to find [Coin Telegraph]
• Colombian Police Dismantle $42M Crypto Drug Laundering Ring [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 Friday, October 23, 2026
Author: Bobby Coggins
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