Local

MNJ Photo/Mariel Williams. A man died when this trailer home was gutted by fire last week. The home is located on Cardinal Lane in Spruce Pine.

MNJ Photo/Mariel Williams. A man died when this trailer home was gutted by fire last week. The home is located on Cardinal Lane in Spruce Pine.

Fire and ice: Winter weather leads to fires, with fatality

Mariel Williams
Monday, February 2, 2026
A man died in a fire started by a supplementary heater Thursday. Bill Hoag of Spruce Pine Fire and Rescue said that the fire occurred at around 7:30 a.m. Thursday morning at 30 Cardinal Lane. “Probably a heating unit started it,” Hoag said. The suspected cause was a propane heater.
Photo/Joshua McKinney. A sheet of snow and ice blanketed Mitchell County for the second consecutive weekend on Saturday. While many felt the plummeting temperatures were unfit for man or beast, they didn’t discourage Dr. Marvin Walker from taking a stroll through Spruce Pine with his loyal companion.

Photo/Joshua McKinney. A sheet of snow and ice blanketed Mitchell County for the second consecutive weekend on Saturday. While many felt the plummeting temperatures were unfit for man or beast, they didn’t discourage Dr. Marvin Walker from taking a stroll through Spruce Pine with his loyal companion.

Snowstorm blankets county

Mariel Williams
Monday, February 2, 2026
Mitchell County was blanketed with snow this weekend, the second weekend in a row to see extreme winter weather. Local governments officially declared States of Emergency going into the weekend as Winter Storm Gianna sailed in to take the place of the previous Winter Storm Fern.

Community interested in disaster grant opportunities

Mariel Williams
Monday, January 26, 2026
The Mitchell County Board of Commissioners held a public hearing last week in order to solicit input on the submission of applications for a Community Development Block Grant-Disaster Recovery Funds. According to the N.C. Department of Commerce, North Carolina was awarded $1.

Economic update

Mariel Williams
Monday, January 26, 2026
Bill Slagle, executive director of the Mitchell County Economic Development Commission, gave a report on the EDC to the Mitchell County Board of Commissioners last week. Slagle noted that the written version of his semi-annual report is posted on the EDC’s website.
MNJ Photo/Jaren Gragg. The Spruce Pine Rebuild Center is being operated by Baptists on Mission as a volunteer hub for disaster recovery.

MNJ Photo/Jaren Gragg. The Spruce Pine Rebuild Center is being operated by Baptists on Mission as a volunteer hub for disaster recovery.

Old school begins a new mission

(not verified)
Monday, January 26, 2026
The old Deyton school building, located at 308 Harris St. in Spruce Pine, has been transformed into the Baptists on Mission Spruce Pine Rebuild Center. The building was purchased in November 2024 to support Baptists on Mission’s disaster-relief response efforts in the High Country.
MNJ Photo/Mariel Williams. Winter Storm Fern did not live up to all the dire predictions made last week, but Mitchell County still got its share of ice and icy winds.

MNJ Photo/Mariel Williams. Winter Storm Fern did not live up to all the dire predictions made last week, but Mitchell County still got its share of ice and icy winds.

Surviving a winter wonderland

Mariel Williams
Monday, January 26, 2026
Winter Storm Fern may not have been quite as severe as predicted, but Mitchell County is still recovering from a not-insignificant amount of winter weather over the weekend. Most local governments had declared a state of emergency by Friday, as did North Carolina Gov. Josh Stein.

Town council approves personnel policy changes

Mariel Williams
Tuesday, January 20, 2026
The Spruce Pine Town Council voted to approve a new personnel policy at its meeting last week. The personnel policy was developed after the town hired a consultant last year to improve staffing, personnel retention and recruitment methods.
MNJ Photo/Mariel Williams. Spruce Pine resident Martin Frady tells the Town Council about his quest to get water service restored for several weeks.

MNJ Photo/Mariel Williams. Spruce Pine resident Martin Frady tells the Town Council about his quest to get water service restored for several weeks.

Spruce Pine residents irate about Christmas water outage

Mariel Williams
Tuesday, January 20, 2026
The Spruce Pine Town Council faced an unusually packed house at its regular meeting last week, as a number of residents of Ollis Road and Sullins Branch area came to complain that their water has been out for weeks, beginning before Christmas.
MNJ Photo/Jaren Gragg. Loafer’s Glory suffered considerable storm damage during Hurricane Helene.

MNJ Photo/Jaren Gragg. Loafer’s Glory suffered considerable storm damage during Hurricane Helene.

ROAD TO RECOVERY

(not verified)
Tuesday, January 20, 2026
Jaren Gragg MNJ Correspondent   When Hurricane Helene (downgraded to a tropical storm after slowing down over land) swept through Western North Carolina, the storm brought heavy rainfall, flooding, prolonged power outages, and significant damage, limiting access to supplies and services vital to...

Sibelco eliminates jobs, EDC offers help

Mariel Williams
Tuesday, January 20, 2026
The Mitchell Economic Development Commission (EDC) and the Mitchell County Chamber of Commerce will be working to assist local residents affected by last week’s announcement of a significant workforce reduction by Sibelco Corp. at its Mitchell County operations.