March 15, 2026 Boone, NC – March 15, 2026 – Gardeners are encouraged to bring any surplus seeds, root divisions, bulbs, corms, cuttings, plants, and fruit scion wood they wish to share. Seed swaps operate on the honor principle that gardeners will bring what they can this year, grow what they get from this swap and other sources, then bring saved seeds from their crops to next year’s Seed Swap.
January 30, 2026 Boone, NC – January 30, 2026 -Travel could be very difficult. The hazardous conditions could impact the Friday evening commute. Strong winds could cause tree damage.
November 23, 2025 Boone, NC – November 23, 2025 -Sheriff Howell believes “This case represents the largest arrest operation in Ashe County history. The investigation began in January of this year and rapidly intensified, expanding far beyond initial expectations. What started with two agencies quickly grew to involve assistance from more than 23 partner agencies…
May 19, 2025. West Jefferson, NC – It was a beautiful spring day in West Jefferson as Blue Ridge Conservancy (BRC) was joined by supporters, partners, and elected officials to a ribbon-cutting ceremony to open Paddy Mountain Park. Northern Peaks State Trail Coordinator Jordan Sellers welcomed North Carolina Governor Josh Stein, Congresswoman Virginia Foxx, Representative Ray Pickett, Ashe County Board of Commissioners Chairman Todd McNeill, West Jefferson Mayor Tom Hartman, Deputy Secretary of Natural Resources Jeff Michael, and Chairperson of the NC Parks and Recreation Trust Fund Margaret Newbold to speak about the significance of the park’s opening. The Park, a conservation victory over a decade in the making, provides recreational opportunities for locals and tourists alike, and will serve as the West Jefferson trailhead of the Northern Peaks State Trail.
March 24, 2025 RALEIGH – On March 20 the NC Budget & Tax Center (BTC) published our Economic County Snapshots for 2025. Released each year, these snapshots provide at-a-glance information on a variety of economic and social indicators for every county in North Carolina, along with comparisons to state-level data. Data is available is multiple formats for ease of use, including interactive charts and maps that allow for quick comparisons across counties, one-page documents with complete information for each county, and the option to download all data in a single file.
February 21, 2025 Blue Ridge Conservancy (BRC) continues to preserve land for public access in Ashe County, and recently completed the purchase of 32 acres on the northern slope of Mount Jefferson that will be added to the Mount Jefferson State Natural Area. This land, along with an adjoining 36 acres, will provide the critical link between Paddy Mountain and Mount Jefferson for the Northern Peaks State Trail (NPST). The property was purchased from Jefferson resident Sandra Barrett and her family.
February 17, 2025 Blue Ridge Energy line technicians and assisting crews have completed restoration of all outages caused by last week’s ice storm, while crews continue working to restore the final nine outages caused by Sunday’s high wind gusts. Blue Ridge Energy thanks over 130 line technicians and tree workers who answered the call to help: New River Light and Power, Rutherford EMC, Energy United, Union Power Cooperative, Piedmont Electric, Four County EMC, Surry-Yadkin EMC, Randolph EMC, Pee Dee Electric, Pike Corp., Lucas Tree, Kendall Tree and Xylem.
February 15, 2025 Despite heavy rain and extensive damage to the electric system from this week’s ice storm, Blue Ridge Energy line technicians and assisting crews are making tremendous progress: power outages are down 949 as of 4:30 pm Saturday. Ashe district stands at 417 members affected; Alleghany district: 344, Wilkes at 166, and Watauga district at 22 members without power at 4:30 pm Saturday. Outages are down from a high of around 14,000 after the ice storm hit.
February 13, 2025 A team of 120 Blue Ridge Energy line technicians and crews from sister cooperatives across North Carolina, along with contractors and other staff continue 24/7 power restoration efforts for the remaining 7,816 members impacted by the ice storm that began Wednesday morning. Over 800 locations on the cooperative’s 8,000 miles of power line primarily in Ashe, Alleghany and Watauga counties were damaged: downed trees and large limbs falling and tearing down power lines and breaking poles. As temperatures rose today, and ice fell from trees and power lines, it caused lines to “slap together” creating additional outages.
February 12, 2025 Blue Ridge Energy line technicians, sister crews from cooperatives across North Carolina, electric contractors and tree trimmers are battling severe destruction to restore power to over 11,000 members in Ashe, Watauga and Alleghany counties Wednesday afternoon. At this hour, ice accumulation is ongoing, worsening the effects on the grid. Heavy ice has caused widespread damage across the cooperative’s mountain service area. Crews are battling falling trees, powerlines weighed down by ice and continued winter weather to restore power.
February 12, 2025 Blue Ridge Energy line technicians and sister crews from neighboring cooperatives are battling icy conditions and downed power lines to restore power to over 2,500 members in Ashe, Watauga and Alleghany counties Wednesday morning. While precipitation has stopped, damage from early morning ice has brought down trees onto power lines, causing damage that is widespread across the cooperative’s mountain service area. Hardest hit areas include northern Ashe County along the Virginia line, eastern Watauga County including the Deep Gap community, and across Alleghany County. Assisting Blue Ridge Energy line technicians are an additional 12 crews – 24 line technicians – from neighboring cooperatives in North Carolina.
January 28, 2025. The Women, Infants and Children (WIC) program, housed within AppHealthCare, recently received a national breastfeeding award from the USDA Food and Nutrition Service, Special Supplemental Nutrition Program. According to the USDA, “the award recognizes local WIC agencies that have provided exemplary breastfeeding promotion and support activities.” The award is given at three levels of performance: Gold, Premiere and Elite. The AppHealthCare WIC Program received the Premiere award recognition and is one of twenty recipients in the country.
January 3, 2025 The High Country Real Estate Market of Alleghany, Ashe, Avery, and Watauga Counties saw sales down 27.8% compared to this same time a year ago. Inventory climbed 3.0% during November compared to November 2023. For November, there were 117 closed sales on single-family and condo/townhouse properties. The combined closing total for the month was $92.0 million. Our four counties combined median sales price was $530,000, up 20.0% compared to this time a year ago.
December 31, 2024. Raleigh, NC- At the request of the Governor, FEMA has granted North Carolina an extension for disaster survivors to apply for federal assistance until February 6, 2025. Homeowners and renters with uninsured losses from Tropical Storm Helene may be eligible to apply for FEMA assistance. Survivors who have insurance are encouraged to file a claim for disaster-caused damage with your insurance company before they apply for FEMA assistance. Survivors do not need to wait for an insurance settlement to apply for FEMA assistance. FEMA may provide financial assistance to eligible survivors who are uninsured or underinsured.
December 16, 2024 In 2014, Martha Enzmann purchased land in Todd, NC for the eventual purpose of creating a public space and river access for recreation. With the help of Blue Ridge Conservancy (BRC), the North Carolina Land and Water Fund (NCLWF), and the Wildlife Resources Commission (WRC), that dream has been realized with the dedication of Percies Park and river access. BRC recently acquired the 18-acre tract from Enzmann, which includes parking, a trail that is currently being developed, and the popular river access by Railroad Grade Road and Big Hill Road.
December 9, 2024 Raleigh, NC – Blue Ridge Conservancy (BRC) was recently awarded $453,800 from the North Carolina Division of Parks and Recreation’s Complete the Trails (CTP) program for the Northern Peaks State Trail (NPST) in Ashe County. The grant awards help to fund the purchase of over 68 acres on Mount Jefferson that will be added to Mount Jefferson State Natural Area. “Trails bring incredible benefits to rural communities, boosting tourism and economic development,” said N.C. Department of Natural and Cultural Resources Secretary D. Reid Wilson. “This generous funding made possible by the General Assembly and Governor Roy Cooper will help transform the state trails system in the Great Trails State.”
September 26, 2024 Blue Ridge Conservancy (BRC) recently protected 133 acres of mountain top land in Ashe County, located between existing BRC conservation lands at Pond Mountain and Three Top Mountain. The property, known as “Ottaray,” includes the summit of Dove’s Knob at an elevation of 4,220 feet, and the headwaters of Mill Creek. Ottaray boasts significant scenic benefit to the citizens of Ashe County, features diverse and varied habitat for multiple wildlife species, and high conservation values for water quality and agricultural use.
September 12, 2024 Since 2012 folks who live in Ashe, Avery, and Watauga counties have visited highcountrypress.com to stay up to date with news of the day, celebrate individuals, businesses and organizations who are investing in and giving back to our community and to follow local politics, sports and events. In November 2022, I made a statement during a Chamber of Commerce Business After Hours event at Sunset & Vine about the possibility of launching a print newspaper in Blowing Rock and the response was overwhelmingly positive. The High Country Press team devised a business plan to launch the Blowing Rock paper, then, each year thereafter, launch one paper in West Jefferson, then Newland, then Banner Elk and so on. On October 3, 2023, High Country Press – Blowing Rock became a reality. By Sam Garrett
September 2, 2024 The North Carolina Administrative Office of the Courts (NCAOC) has announced plans to complete the eCourts expansion to trial courts across all of its 100 counties in 2025. The eCourts Portal application provides the public with no-cost access to digital court and other public records online anytime instead of limiting access to in-person visits during business hours to obtain paper files. eCourts currently serves approximately half of North Carolina’s population in its three largest cities (Charlotte, Raleigh, and Greensboro) and 38 counties across the coastal, piedmont, and mountain regions that have already had their eCourts systems implemented.
August 13, 2024 The 34th annual Blue Ridge Brutal Bike Ride will be held in Ashe County on Saturday, August 17, 2024. Hosted by the Ashe County Chamber of Commerce, the ride offers 25-, 50-, 70-, and 100-mile routes, each including scenic stretches, elevation changes, and stunning long-range views throughout Ashe. After completing one’s chosen course, riders may elect to take on the Assault on Mount Jefferson. Its 1,476-foot elevation gain within 3.4 miles makes for an unforgettable ending to an already memorable ride. In recent years, each Brutal ride has had approximately 400 participants, most of whom were visitors to the High Country
August 2, 2024 AppHealthCare is proud to celebrate National Health Center Week 2024, taking place August 4-10. The annual event highlights the essential role Community Health Centers play in improving public health and prioritizing care for all people. AppHealthCare is designated as a Community Health Center for Alleghany and Ashe Counties and because of this role, they have received resources to provide comprehensive primary healthcare, dental care, women’s healthcare, behavioral/mental healthcare, family planning services and more
July 23, 2024 Writers, young and old! Come to Wordkeepers, a gathering of writers in the High Country at the Ashe County Arts Center, 303 School Avenue, West Jefferson, North Carolina, on Saturday, August 17th, at 4:00 in the afternoon. Refreshments will be provided, and a warm and welcoming audience awaits your own original works. Readers are asked to keep their selections, from any genre, to under eight minutes, but please join us and share, or at least join us and listen. If you would like to read, please contact Sandy Lassen at slassen@skybest.com so that she can reserve your slot.
July 14, 2024 Blue Ridge Conservancy (BRC) was recently awarded $80,000 by NCDOT for a Multimodal Feasibility Study grant, which will give BRC and its partners of Jefferson, West Jefferson, and Ashe County a plan to connect Paddy Mountain Park to Mount Jefferson State Natural Area via a pedestrian pathway. This pathway will ultimately connect Mt Jefferson to the Northern Peaks State Trail (NPST). Charity Shatley, Jefferson Town Manager, says “The Town of Jefferson is eager to partner with BRC, NCDOT, West Jefferson, Ashe County, and other community partners involved in the NPST feasibility study.”
July 11, 2024 On July 15th, AppHealthCare will reopen the Ashe Health Center after being closed following water damage sustained to the building in December 2022. “We are thrilled to welcome our patients and community back in the Ashe Health Center to continue providing compassionate and high quality health care. We remain committed to treating the whole person and meeting patients where they are. We know the temporary closure of the Ashe Health Center has presented challenges for our community, and we are appreciative of your patience in this process,” stated Jennifer Greene, Health Director/CEO, AppHealthCare.
May 16, 2024 New River Conservancy (NRC) and the Center for Appalachian Studies (CAS) invite you to Water Cycle – a free, family-friendly event on Sunday, June 2 from 3:00 – 8:00 PM in Creston, NC at Riverview Community Center that will showcase area artists and offer hands-on workshops for the public. The goal of the event is to amplify the need and increase awareness of the importance of a clean and healthy watershed. Workshops begin at 3:00 PM and will feature water monitoring, weaving, poetry, and photography. Performances featuring live music, poetry, and film will start at 6:30 to 8:00 PM. Performers include Trevor McKenzie and Julie Shepherd Powell, Scot Pope and Brenda Smith, and Annie Woodford. A special screening of the Trash Trout Motion Picture Show will close the show.