Latest Updates

Red Cross Responds to Spring Flooding

Red Cross disaster-trained team members with the American Red Cross Greater Carolinas Region are assisting 11 people evacuated from flooding in McDowell County. The Red Cross will continue work with emergency management and local public health to monitor the evolving weather situation and potential flooding. Due to the COVID-19 outbreak, our response is adjusted but our mission remains the ...(more)

Penland School Receives Part of $1 Million Anonymous Donation

Penland School of Crafts is one of five crafts schools in the nation to receive part of an anonymous gift of nearly one million dollars. The gift was given to Penland School of Crafts, Arrowmont School of Crafts in Tennessee, Haystack Mountain School of Crafts in Maine, Peters Valley School of Craft in New Jersey and Pilchuck Glass School in Washington. These five schools have worked together ...(more)

Foothills Conservancy Purchases Land in McDowell County

On May 8, Foothills Conservancy of North Carolina purchased 38 acres on the North Fork Catawba River in McDowell County. The property will eventually be transferred to the North Carolina Wildlife Resources Commission (NCWRC) for future public use as part of its Wildlife Conservation Area program. The conservancy acquired the property with a $100,000 grant from Duke Energy’s Catawba-Wateree ...(more)

Yancey County Hyper-Reach

Hyper-Reach connects citizens to Emergency Announcements and Alerts.  You must register to receive alerts. When registering you can choose how alerts are received, by email, text, phone call.  Use this link to sign up.  ...(more)

Local Section of Blue Ridge Parkway Opens

The Blue Ridge Parkway between Craggy Gardens Picnic Area and Mount Mitchell has reopened allowing visitor access to the entire motor road in North Carolina as of today. Most of Virginia has been and remains open as well for driving, hiking and outdoor recreation with the exception of the northern-most 13 miles   When out in the park please remember the following to ensure a safe ...(more)

Spruce Pine Man Charged With Rape

McDowell County deputies have arrested and charged a Spruce Pine man with three counts of statutory rape of a child by an adult.  According to authorities, twenty-two year old Brandon Michael Jarrett, of Washburn Road in Spruce Pine, had a sexual relationship with a 12-year-old girl between 2018 and 2019. Deputies say that during that time Jarrett was 20-years-old and the victim was an ...(more)