Construction on the first phase of the new Franklin High School is officially underway after years of advocating and planning by large swaths of the community. 

At its October meeting the Macon County Commission said goodbye to long-time County Manager Derek Roland and announced its selection of interim County Manager Warren Cabe. 

District Attorney Ashley Hornsby Welch announced that in separate cases, two Macon County men pleaded guilty this month to trafficking methamphetamine. 

Kentucky singer-songwriter Dalton Mills will perform at 4 p.m. Saturday, Oct. 19, on the side-lawn stage at Yonder Community Market in Franklin. 

The 28th annual PumpkinFest will be held from 9 a.m. to 4 p.m., Saturday, Oct. 19, in downtown Franklin. 

The Macon County Planning Board voted last week to recommend a revision of the water supply watershed ordinance to the county commission. Set against the backdrop of catastrophic flooding in Western North Carolina, and despite public opposition to the change, board members maintain the revision is a minor and will have little impact. 

Amid the devastation and human suffering caused by Tropical Storm Helene, it’s only natural to lose sight of the fact that in less than 30 days, voters across the country will head to the polls to participate in a close, consequential election. Come hell or high water — Western North Carolina has had both — local election officials are working feverishly on a short timeline to ensure there are no disruptions to early voting, absentee balloting or Election Day activities.

While Macon County may have been spared the catastrophic flooding experienced by so many of its Western North Carolina neighbors following Hurricane Helene, it was not spared the most serious and devastating effects of the storm — loss of life. 

AGAIN. For the second time in three years, Haywood County, the highest east of the Mississippi River, experienced devastating flooding from a tropical weather system that reached mountainous Southern Appalachia’s narrow, rocky canyons and broad, lush river valleys — wiping out whole towns, inundating normally impregnable areas and crippling the communications and transportation infrastructure that powers public safety, commerce and the dissemination of information. 

Tropical Storm Helene was predicted to bring significant flooding to Western North Carolina, but it's hard to fathom how much destruction has actually been wrought. As the storm developed, readers from around the area sent photos into Smoky Mountain News. Here's a look at some of them. 

• BearWaters 1 BearWaters 1
• BearWaters 2 BearWaters 2
• Thompson Cove Thompson Cove
• Downtown Clyde Downtown Clyde
• Clyde House Clyde House
• Clyde bridge Clyde bridge
• Coleman Mountain Bridge 1 Coleman Mountain Bridge 1
• Coleman Mountain Bridge 2 Coleman Mountain Bridge 2
• Frog Level flooding Frog Level flooding
• Maggie Valley landslide Maggie Valley landslide
• Wanyesville flooding Wanyesville flooding
• Macon County flooding Macon County flooding
• Canton Moose Lodge Canton Moose Lodge
• Downtown Canton Downtown Canton
• Waynesville Ingles Waynesville Ingles
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