News

CNI photos/Randy Foster/editor@cherokeescout.com. The Tin Crown consignment store off U.S. 19 East/N.C. 80 near Micaville was destroyed by flooding along Little Crabtree Creek.

CNI photos/Randy Foster/editor@cherokeescout.com. The Tin Crown consignment store off U.S. 19 East/N.C. 80 near Micaville was destroyed by flooding along Little Crabtree Creek.

The lingering impacts of Helene

Mitchell News-Journal
Tuesday, October 15, 2024
Randy Foster editor@cherokeescout.com The Tin Crow, a consignment store in Micaville on U.S. 19 East/N.C. 80 halfway between Spruce Pine and Burnsville, posted optimistically on its Facebook page on Thursday, Sept. 26.
MNJ photo/Mariel Williams. Nick Whitson shows the water mark where Hurricane Helene floodwaters stopped rising in O.C. Whitson & Sons, a furniture and general store that has stood in Green Mountain for almost 100 years.

MNJ photo/Mariel Williams. Nick Whitson shows the water mark where Hurricane Helene floodwaters stopped rising in O.C. Whitson & Sons, a furniture and general store that has stood in Green Mountain for almost 100 years.

Green Mountain faces a flood-damaged future

Mitchell News-Journal
Tuesday, October 15, 2024
Mariel Williams editor@mitchellnews.com As Nick Whitson walks through his family’s flood-devastated properties in Green Mountain, a question recurs: What can be saved? But for Whitson, “can” is the wrong word. His family has run O.C.
Submitted photo/ Governor’s office. N.C. Governor Roy Cooper talks with Spruce Pine Assistant Fire Chief Bill Hoag. On Tuesday, Oct.8, Governor Cooper traveled to Spruce Pine and was joined by FEMA Administrator Deanne Criswell, Federal Highway Administration Acting Administrator Kristin White and other state and federal officials to assess storm damage, thank volunteers and speak with people impacted by Hurricane Helene.

Submitted photo/ Governor’s office. N.C. Governor Roy Cooper talks with Spruce Pine Assistant Fire Chief Bill Hoag. On Tuesday, Oct.8, Governor Cooper traveled to Spruce Pine and was joined by FEMA Administrator Deanne Criswell, Federal Highway Administration Acting Administrator Kristin White and other state and federal officials to assess storm damage, thank volunteers and speak with people impacted by Hurricane Helene.

FEMA: Apply now for financial aid

Mitchell News-Journal
Tuesday, October 15, 2024
Rachel Hoskins rhoskins@thefranklinpress.com Mitchell County was among 27 North Carolina counties that suffered widespread flooding, landslides and destruction, due to the Tropical Storm Helene, which moved inland after coming ashore in Florida on Sept. 26. N.C.
Special to MNJ/Judy Taylor. Flooding on Sept. 27 washed out a 60-yard stretch of State Hwy. 226 in Bakersville.

Special to MNJ/Judy Taylor. Flooding on Sept. 27 washed out a 60-yard stretch of State Hwy. 226 in Bakersville.

Bakersville facilites take a hard hit

Mitchell News-Journal
Tuesday, October 8, 2024
Mariel Williams editor@mitchellnews.com Cane Creek, a long-time flood hazard, washed out some 60 yards of State Hwy. 226 in Bakersville and shut down the town’s wastewater treatment capabilities in the Sept. 26 floods. Mayor Charles E.
MNJ Photo/ Megan Horn. As donations roll in to Mitchell County it takes an army of volunteers and community members to sort and distribute them.

MNJ Photo/ Megan Horn. As donations roll in to Mitchell County it takes an army of volunteers and community members to sort and distribute them.

Neighbors helping neighbors

Mitchell News-Journal
Tuesday, October 8, 2024
Megan Horn  CNI Newspapers    “Neighbors helping neighbors” is the focus of the Grassy Creek community as residents came together to support each other in the heartbreaking aftermath of Hurricane Helene.
Photo/ Steven McCann. Panoramic shot showing downed timber on left and standing timber on right on Beans Creek Road.

Photo/ Steven McCann. Panoramic shot showing downed timber on left and standing timber on right on Beans Creek Road.

Buladean Brave

Mitchell News-Journal
Tuesday, October 8, 2024
Brian Brodrick Special Correspondent to the Mitchell News-Journal   Helene might have met her match in Buladean. At dawn on Sept.
MNJ photo/ Rachel Hoskins. A member of the Virginia Task Force Urban Search and Rescue team goes door to door checking on residents in flooded areas.

MNJ photo/ Rachel Hoskins. A member of the Virginia Task Force Urban Search and Rescue team goes door to door checking on residents in flooded areas.

The long road to recovery

Mitchell News-Journal
Wednesday, October 2, 2024
Rachel Hoskins rhoskins@thefranklinpress.com “It’s as bad as anything the county has ever experienced in its history,” said N.C. Senator Ralph Hise sitting in the Spruce Pine Fire Department on Tuesday afternoon, Oct. 1.
Submitted photo. Downtown Spruce Pine was flooded as Tropical Storm Helene rolled through Mitchell County on Sept. 26. The county continues to struggle without power, phone services or internet.

Submitted photo. Downtown Spruce Pine was flooded as Tropical Storm Helene rolled through Mitchell County on Sept. 26. The county continues to struggle without power, phone services or internet.

UNDERWATER

Mitchell News-Journal
Wednesday, October 2, 2024
Rachel Hoskins rhoskins@thefranklinpress.com Seventy-two feet. Seventy-two feet is the distance between where the sidewalk that flanks the businesses along Locust Street in Spruce Pine begins to the edge of Sycamore Alley, which divides buildings between Locust Street and Oak Avenue.

No deal: Harris sale falls through

Mitchell News-Journal
Monday, September 23, 2024
Mariel Williams editor@mitchellnews.com The AMY [Avery, Mitchell, Yancey] Wellness Foundation confirmed Thursday that it will not follow through with a plan to purchase the old Harris Middle School building in Spruce Pine.