News

NC Mountaineer Festival returns after smooth 2020 debut

BAKERSVILLE — The second annual North Carolina Mountaineer Festival will draw visitors to Bakersville on Saturday, Sept. 18 to celebrate life in the mountains. Organized by small business owners Harley and John Masters, the festival happened for the first time in October 2020.

MCTA gets $100,000 grant to add Spruce Pine fixed route

SPRUCE PINE — Mitchell County Transportation Authority will soon add a fixed route in Spruce Pine thanks to a $100,000 grant from the National Rural Transit Assistance Community Rides Program. MCTA Director Sheila Blalock said a start date for the Spruce Pine route will be announced later.

PRC growing, rising thanks to Amazon deal

Nestled in the large industrial site off Henredon Road in Spruce Pine is one of the area’s largest employers.  Product Remanufacturing Centers (PRC) was founded more than two decades ago, but a contract with Amazon has pushed the company to new heights.

Toe Jam Music Festival will return after 2020 cancelation

SPRUCE PINE — The Toe Jam Music Festival returns to Spruce Pine on Saturday, Sept. 11, from noon to 10 p.m.

Masks mandatory again in schools for at least a month

LEDGER — Face coverings are mandatory again during school hours within Mitchell County school buildings. The Mitchell County Board of Education during an emergency meeting on Monday, Aug.

Officers seize 60 pounds of marijuana during traffic stop

SPRUCE PINE — Officers from the Spruce Pine Police Department and Mitchell County Sheriff’s Office, with help from the North Carolina State Highway Patrol, seized 60 pounds of marijuana on Monday, Aug. 16 during a traffic stop on NC Highway 226.

Annual Run for the Hills car show draws scores to Poplar

POPLAR — The 14th annual Run for the Hills car show, hosted by Carolina PushRodz, brought hundreds of vintage and muscle cars, food vendors, raffles and a burnout competition to Poplar.  Hundreds of visitors packed the field to view the cars and support the food vendors.

Quartz Corp. volunteers complete projects

Eighty volunteers from The Quartz Corp. rolled up their sleeves and completed several key community projects around the region this past week as part of the company’s annual Volunteer Impact Day.

Commissioners table discussion on welcome signs

BAKERSVILLE — Mitchell County Economic Development Commission Director Mickey Duvall during the regular meeting of the Mitchell County Commissioners on Monday, Aug. 16 presented plans for new “welcome to Mitchell County” signs that will be discussed further in the future.

Maggie's Ride raises more than $4,500 for memorial scholarship

BAKERSVILLE — The memory of the late Maggie Young lives on through the annual Maggie’s Ride fundraiser and the 2021 edition of the event proceeded as planned. During the third year of Maggie’s Ride on Saturday, Aug.