News
Mitchell News-Journal
Mariel Williams
editor@mitchellnews.com
The Mitchell County Board of Commissioners has passed an ordinance allowing the county to declare local burn bans, and North Carolina Forest Service issued a statewide burn ban on Friday.
Tuesday, March 25, 2025
Paul David Dover, 67, of Spruce Pine is facing federal child pornography charges after being arrested in Yancey County.
Man in child porn case has local ties
Mitchell News-Journal
Mariel Williams
editor@mitchellnews.com
Paul David Dover, 67, of Spruce Pine is facing federal child pornography charges after being arrested in Yancey County.
According to the Yancey County Sheriff’s Office, Dover was arrested in the parking lot at the McDonald’s in Burnsville March 14.
Tuesday, March 25, 2025
Checked out: Yancey Co. on track to leave library system
Mitchell News-Journal
Noreen Nickolas
MNJ Correspondent
A 64-year alliance between Yancey County and the Avery-Mitchell-Yancey Regional Library System (AMY) will end, on July 1, 2025.
Tuesday, March 18, 2025
SBA extends deadline for disaster loans
Mitchell News-Journal
ATLANTA – The U.S. Small Business Administration (SBA) is extending the physical damage loan deadline for disaster declarations affected by the 2024 federal funding lapse.
The new deadline to apply is April 27.
Tuesday, March 18, 2025
Submitted photo. Noah Daniel Garrett of Conover has been charged with obtaining property by false pretense. He reportedly called himself “John Griffin” and claimed to be the owner of “Lakeside Construction Services,” and offered fraudulent cleanup services, sometimes via Facebook.
Hurricane recovery sees increase in scams
Mitchell News-Journal
Mariel Williams
editor@mitchellnews.com
As predicted five months ago when disaster struck, the process of recovering from Hurricane Helene (downgraded to a tropical storm after slowing down over land) has attracted scam artists and bad actors.
Tuesday, March 18, 2025
Downtown calls for concert vendors
Mitchell News-Journal
Local craft and food vendors are invited to apply to operate at the Oliver Anthony Benefit Concert on Saturday, April 5, according to an announcement from Downtown Spruce Pine. (This is for consideration for the event and does not guarantee a spot.
Monday, March 10, 2025
County commissioners urge fire prevention
Mitchell News-Journal
Mariel Williams
editor@mitchellnews.com
The Mitchell County Board of Commissioners passed a resolution encouraging more public awareness of wildfire risk last week.
Monday, March 10, 2025
MNJ Photo/Mariel Williams. Many Mitchell County waterways have excess flood debris on banks and stream beds. County residents can now apply for waterway and private property debris removal by calling the Helene Hotline at (828) 537-1441.
Requests open for debris removal from waterways, private property open
Mitchell News-Journal
Mariel Williams
editor@mitchellnews.com
“So, of course, the world I live in is the world of debris,” said Allen Cook as he began his county manager’s report last week.
Monday, March 10, 2025
FEMA application deadline extended to April
Mitchell News-Journal
HICKORY — At the request of the state of North Carolina, FEMA (the Federal Emergency Management Agency) has extended the deadline to apply for assistance after Tropical Storm Helene to April 7.
Monday, March 10, 2025
Spruce Pine hires new Finance Officer
Mitchell News-Journal
Mariel Williams
editor@mitchellnews.com
The Spruce Pine Town Council voted last week to hire Christy Young as the town finance officer.
Young previously was employed by Mitchell County as a finance specialist. She will start work Thursday with an annual salary of $75,000.
Monday, March 3, 2025