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EXTENDING OUR REACH: Kids in the kitchen

Cooking is an important life skill. Learning the basics of cooking may help young people feel confident in preparing meals at home, which is a healthier alternative to eating out.  For younger children, cooking at home can foster cooperation and communication with parents and siblings.

MCHS extends deadline for Inez McRae Scholarship

The Mitchell County Historical Society has extended the application deadline for the fifth annual Inez McRae Memorial Scholarship. Applicants now have until May 15 to submit.

ASK DENISE: Drinking creates problem in relationship

Editor’s note: Writer’s answers do not reflect those of the Mitchell News-Journal and are not meant to replace medical or mental health care.   Dear Denise: My girlfriend is always getting mad at me because she says I drink too much.

Self-employed, independent contractors can apply for unemployment benefits

RALEIGH – A federal program to pay unemployment benefits to self-employed people and independent contractors went live in North Carolina Friday, April 24, Assistant Secretary of the Division of Employment Security Lockhart Taylor told lawmakers Tuesday.

NCDHHS to help pay for child care costs for essential workers

The North Carolina Department of Health and Human Services announced it has established an Emergency Child Care Subsidy Program to help essential workers pay for child care during the COVID-19 pandemic through May. The deadline could be extended further.

McDowell County now has 26 positive COVID-19 cases

The McDowell County Health Department has been notified that one additional McDowell County resident has tested positive for novel coronavirus, or COVID-19. The initial investigation links this individual positive case to contact with other known positive cases.

NCDMV adds contactless payment options at license plate agencies

RALEIGH – The N.C. Division of Motor Vehicles is expanding the type of payments it accepts at its license plate agencies to include non-contact credit and bank cards.

GUEST COLUMN: It’s time to stop thinking of broadband as a luxury

If you are like me, your email has been flooded with stories about COVID-19 lately.  Most articles use faceless data like unemployment figures, infection rates, and economic losses to paint a sobering picture of an unpredictable global health crisis with an uncertain outcome.

OBITUARY: Carolyn Yelton Pittman

Carolyn Yelton Pittman, 77, passed away Sunday, April 12, 2020, at the Capital Caring Adler Center hospice facility in Aldie, Virginia, following a brief illness. She was the beloved wife of Robert C. Pittman, of Manassas, Virginia.

TOWN OF SPRUCE PINE: Council hears requests during budget session

SPRUCE PINE – The Spruce Pine Town Council met with department representatives Monday, April 20, for a budget work session for the 2020-21 fiscal year. Michael Woods, the representative of Parks and Recreation, said the No. 1 priority for his department was a new bathroom at Brad Ragan Park.