News

MNJ Photo/Sarah Atkins. “Regulations exist to protect the places and the things that cannot speak up and protect themselves,” said Trey Moore at DEQ’s public hearing last Tuesday. Moore came from his home in Erwin, Tenn. to comment on the impact of the Horizon 30 mine in Poplar.

MNJ Photo/Sarah Atkins. “Regulations exist to protect the places and the things that cannot speak up and protect themselves,” said Trey Moore at DEQ’s public hearing last Tuesday. Moore came from his home in Erwin, Tenn. to comment on the impact of the Horizon 30 mine in Poplar.

Locals push back on mining permit request by Horizon 30

(not verified)
Tuesday, August 5, 2025
Sarah Atkins  seatkins05@gmail.com   “Our wildlife and communities are not for sale,” said Jeanne Miraglia at a public hearing last week on a controversial new mine.

County tightens belt while waiting on FEMA

Mariel Williams
Tuesday, July 29, 2025
Mitchell County Finance Officer Mavis Parsley told the Board of Commissioners last week that she is asking department heads to hold back on some budgeted expenses until outstanding disaster recovery funds from the Federal Emergency Management Agency are received.

‘We still have no bridge’

Mariel Williams
Tuesday, July 29, 2025
A resident of the Beech Creek development near Bakersville spoke to the Mitchell County Board of Commissioners last week, seeking help with bridge repair and debris collection. “I’m speaking for the six permanent residents that live in Beech Creek,” Andrews said. “We still have no bridge.
Submitted photo. The cast of “Bloodletting In These Hills” includes, left to right front, Karen Covington-Yow and Mary Weisgerber; back, Raiter Montgomery and Mike Yow.

Submitted photo. The cast of “Bloodletting In These Hills” includes, left to right front, Karen Covington-Yow and Mary Weisgerber; back, Raiter Montgomery and Mike Yow.

Bloodied hills and history

Steffen Silvis
Tuesday, July 29, 2025
During the protracted miners’ strike in West Virginia’s Cabin Creek and Paint Creek region in 1913, a company storekeeper and his family play out the conflict’s issues inside their home, fueled by divided loyalties.
MNJ Photo/Steffen Silvis. This yellow mineral on display at the Grassy Creek Mineral and Gem Show is a sample of crystalized sulfur from Mount Etna in Italy.

MNJ Photo/Steffen Silvis. This yellow mineral on display at the Grassy Creek Mineral and Gem Show is a sample of crystalized sulfur from Mount Etna in Italy.

Rock stars

Steffen Silvis
Tuesday, July 29, 2025
The 41st annual Grassy Creek Mineral and Gem Show, which runs through Aug. 3, highlights Spruce Pine’s role as a mining hub.

Police cracking down on speeders

Mariel Williams
Tuesday, July 22, 2025
The Spruce Pine Town Council met last week for a short meeting considering routine business.   Police Spruce Pine Chief of Police Kasey Cook reported to the council that he is continuing a crackdown on speeding in response to resident complaints.
MNJ Photo/Steffen Silvis. Mountain Community Health Partnership held a groundbreaking ceremony for a new facility Friday. (Above) Director of Grants and Business Development Jamie McMahan praises the project’s partners.

MNJ Photo/Steffen Silvis. Mountain Community Health Partnership held a groundbreaking ceremony for a new facility Friday. (Above) Director of Grants and Business Development Jamie McMahan praises the project’s partners.

Breaking new ground

Steffen Silvis
Tuesday, July 22, 2025
Mountain Community Health Partnership held a groundbreaking Friday for its new development on a 105-acre lot in Grassy Creek. MCHP’s planned 27-thousand-foot facility is designed as an integrated health community, featuring medical and mental health care, as well as therapy services.
MNJ Photos/Steffen Silvis Based in Elizabethon, Tennessee, the popular Diggy Donuts came to a recent Tasty Thursday. The Diggy Donuts truck is a miniature bakery, where you can watch doughnuts being freshly made and then topped with glaze, chocolate, or caramel.

MNJ Photos/Steffen Silvis Based in Elizabethon, Tennessee, the popular Diggy Donuts came to a recent Tasty Thursday. The Diggy Donuts truck is a miniature bakery, where you can watch doughnuts being freshly made and then topped with glaze, chocolate, or caramel.

Food Truck rally

Steffen Silvis
Tuesday, July 15, 2025
It began toward the end of the coronavirus pandemic: A rally of food trucks began gathering on Oak Avenue in downtown Spruce Pine, which provided a chance for people to meet and eat together in the open air.