Local

Rhododendron Festival back after 2020 postponement

BAKERSVILLE — The annual North Carolina Rhododendron Festival is set to return Friday, June 18 and Saturday, June 19.  The 74th iteration of the festival, which was originally set for June 19-20, 2020, was postponed in April 2020 amid the COVID-19 pandemic.

Local student helps App State business majors make history

BOONE — Five Appalachian State University business majors, including Sam Crouse of Spruce Pine, made history this year with a trifecta win in the 2021 Chartered Financial Analysts Institute Research Challenge.

Pinky Toe Jam provides music lovers taste of what is to come

SPRUCE PINE — After being canceled in 2020 during the ongoing pandemic, the Toe Jam Music Festival returned in a condensed format on Saturday, May 29 on Lower Street in downtown Spruce Pine.

EDC Director gives update on projects, key local properties

BAKERSVILLE — Mitchell County Economic Development Commission Director Mickey Duvall this past week released his report for May.

Bakersville man in BLM incident appears in court

JONESBOROUGH — A backlog of hearings caused by the pandemic pushed Jared Benjamin Lafer’s appearance in court back several months, but on Thursday, May 27 the Bakersville man accused of running over a Johnson City Black Lives Matter protester this past September stood before a judge.

Brad Ragan mountain bike trail opens with ceremony

SPRUCE PINE — The Mitchell County Chamber and Town of Spruce Pine’s efforts to expand outdoor recreation in the area yielded tangible fruits Saturday, May 22 as the new mountain bike pump track at Brad Ragan Park officially opened with a special grand opening ceremony.

Fortner Insurance gives officers free meal

Fortner Insurance of Spruce Pine made it a point to thank local law enforcement with a special lunch for local on and off-duty officers on Wednesday, May 19. Eight local officers, including Spruce Pine Police Chief Bill Summerlin, made the trip to Fortner for a free lunch.

County officials, MCC develop solution to hotel taxing question

BAKERSVILLE — Starting next year, Mayland Community College plans to make an annual contribution from its Pinebridge Inn revenue to both Mitchell County and the Town of Spruce Pine to provide something in return for the services both entities provide.

Panic at the pumps leaves some area gas stations dry

SPRUCE PINE — Long lines at gas stations in Mitchell County were a common sight this past week as panic-buying put a blitz on fuel shortages in the wake of a cyberattack that put the Colonial Pipeline offline earlier this month.

Students get hands-on with butterflies

Students in Sarah Woody’s second-grade class at Gouge Elementary got hands-on with their curriculum on insects.  During the unit on insects, Woody’s class started talking about and researching several native North Carolina butterflies.