Avery Archives

High Country Communities Unite to Support Small Business Recovery

March 14, 2025 The Watauga County Commissioners, Beech Mountain Town Council, Blowing Rock Town Council, and Boone Town Council have each passed resolutions advocating for continued financial and technical assistance for small businesses impacted by Hurricane Helene. This collective action sends a strong message about the importance of supporting the long-term recovery of our region’s business community. By formally appealing to the United States Congress and the North Carolina General Assembly, these local governments have taken an important step in ensuring that businesses have access to the resources they need to rebuild and thrive.

March 13, 2025 Tracy Bell of Banner Elk wants to give back to her community after she won a $466,415 jackpot playing a digital instant game. “Everyone around here has been through a lot lately,” she said. “I want to help some friends who lost a lot in the storm.” Bell played a $10 ticket on Sunday and won the top level ‘Epic jackpot’ in the Wheel of Bonuses game, a digital instant game featuring a progressive jackpot that can be won at any time. The odds of that win are 1 in 3.1 million. “It was pretty amazing,” she said.

Elk River Helping Hands Concert Series to Support Hurricane Helene Relief Efforts in Western North Carolina

February 28, 2025 The people of North Carolina most affected by Hurricane Helene will receive a much-needed financial boost from a series of summer benefit concerts presented by the Elk River Helping Hands organization located in Banner Elk, NC. Former music attorney, artist manager, and television producer Bill Carter created the non-profit along with members of the Elk River Club. The organization serves as a financial resource for residents of western North Carolina impacted by illness, loss, or unforeseen hardship. The current efforts of Elk River Helping Hands are focused on relief efforts in Watauga and Avery counties following Hurricane Helene. “We had no idea how timely our efforts would turn out to be,” Carter said. “The hurricane may have done its initial damage in September, but the need is still staggering.”

February 26, 2025 Avery County invites all residents to attend public input sessions on Thursday, February 27, 2025, to discuss how more than $3.2 million in funding from the National Opioid Settlements will be used to support prevention, treatment, and recovery efforts in the community. These sessions will take place at the Avery County Community Center (661 Vale Rd., Newland, NC) and will be held at two different times to accommodate as many community members as possible: 10:00 AM – 12:00 PM and 6:00 PM – 8:00 PM.

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 14, 2025 After battling widespread, severe damage from Wednesday’s 20-hour period of freezing rain and ice accumulation, Blue Ridge Energy and assisting line technicians are working to restore power to the remaining 4,227 members as of 11 am Friday. Over 800 locations on the cooperative’s 8,000 miles of power line primarily in Ashe, Alleghany, Wilkes and Watauga counties were damaged by the heavy icing tearing down trees and large limbs into power lines and breaking poles across the system. “Damage is widespread across four counties and what remains today is some of the worst damage we’ve seen from the storm,” said Renee Walker, director of public relations. “Due to the extent of damage, we project full restoration will take into this weekend,” she explained.

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 6, 2025. During 2024, Feeding Avery Families (FAF) provided $1.4 million worth of free food to our hungry neighbors in Avery County, NC. Miraculously, FAF food cost averaged only 17 cents per individual meal, thanks to securing top quality groceries at no or very low expense. In addition, dedicated volunteers kept operation costs low.

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 13, 2025 Avery County Young Professionals (ACYP) is proud to announce the success of the Build Back Avery grant program, which distributed $40,000 in its first round to help Avery County residents recover and rebuild in the wake of Hurricane Helene. The devastating storm caused widespread damage across Avery County, leaving many families facing significant hardships. Through grassroots efforts and community support, ACYP provided meaningful assistance to 84 applicants, reaching every township in the county.

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.

North Carolina Department of Public Safety Announces Helene Disaster Assistance Extension

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 6, 2024 Thanks to the amazing work of countless volunteers, local and out-of-town contractors, many local businesses and non-profits, along with the superior planning and relief response of our town administration, it looks like the entire town of Banner Elk will be back up and running at full speed in record time. So, thanks to all those people and businesses, Ensemble Stage WILL be presenting its 2024 Holiday Musical Variety Show.

November 27, 2024 Over 100 people came together today to discuss the Avery County housing recovery effort in the wake of Hurricane Helene. Volunteers, representatives from businesses and foundations and government officials joined individuals from Chief Cares, Mountain Ways, Samaritan’s Purse, Appalachia Service Project, American Red Cross and FEMA for a facilitated discussion about a more centralized and cohesive coordination of the housing rebuild efforts. The idea of a long-term recovery group for Avery County was also introduced, and attendees broke into smaller groups to form committees around areas of focus such as volunteer management, donations management, construction management and more. The meeting was hosted by the Grandfather Mountain Stewardship Foundation and held at the Linville, N.C., nature park and preserve’s Wilson Center for Nature Discovery.

November 8, 2024 Martha Jaynes Hicks was honored for what her fellow-county officials and others have termed 16 years of meticulous service as a member of the Avery County Board of Commissioners to highlight its regular monthly meeting on November 4. The November 4 meeting was the last regular monthly one for Hicks who did not seek reelection in the 2024 election. Hicks has served as a commissioner since 2008, including 10 consecutive years (2013-2023) as Board Chairwoman. Hicks asked her fellow commissioners not to consider her to remain chairwoman or to serve as vice-chairwoman at their December 2023 regular monthly meeting when the annual voting of Board officers took place because she was not running for reelection. By Tim Gardner

Avery 2024 General Election Results….Tim Phillips, Junior Benfield, and Dennis Aldridge Win Contested County Commission Seats to Highlight Local Races

November 6,2024 Like most parts of the United States, voters turned out in masses in Avery County during the 2024 General Election, either casting ballots in early or absentee voting or at the county’s 11 precinct polling sites (consolidated from 19 to 11 after Hurricane Helene) on General Election Day, Tuesday, November 5. North Carolina State Board of Elections data showed that 9,439 of Avery’s 12,816 registered voters—a huge 73.65 percent–cast votes in this General Election. By Tim Gardner

Avery County Board of Education Buys Out Superintendent Dr. Dan Brigman’s Contract

November 1, 2024 The Avery County Board of Education has approved a negotiated settlement with Schools Superintendent Dr. Dan Brigman to buy out his contract. The buyout became effective on October 31 and ended his tenure in the post, which began on January 1, 2020. By Tim Gardner

November 1, 2024 The Grandfather Mountain nature park was extremely fortunate to receive only minor damage from Hurricane Helene. A small number of trees fell during the storm, and only a few washouts or small landslides have been discovered. The mountain was impacted by the electricity, internet and cell signal outages that were widespread across the region in the weeks following the storm. A few days after Helene, the park was able to confirm that all staff and the mountain’s resident habitat animals were safe. Grandfather Mountain closed to the public on Sept. 26, the day before Hurricane Helene tore through the southeastern part of the country, leaving behind unimaginable effects on the communities surrounding the park. The mountain was closed to guests for 27 days.

Missing Woman from Hurricane Helene Found Dead in Avery County

October 31,2024 A woman has been found deceased in Avery County after having been confirmed as missing since Hurricane Helene hit the area more than a month ago. According to Avery County Sheriff Mike Henley, a search operation conducted on the North Toe River in the Ingalls community of the county’s southern end on October 23 led to the discovery of the woman’s body. The area being searched was only accessible by foot, Sheriff Henley added. By Tim Gardner

Revised Avery County General Election Voting Sites and Early In-Person Voting Time Changes Announced

October 30,2024 Avery County voting sites were affected by Hurricane Helene, requiring its local Board of Elections to combine some sites and change the location of most. There was previously one polling site for each of the county’s 19 precincts. For the 2024 General Election on Tuesday, November 5, there will be 11 polling sites, which follow along with the address of each: By Tim Gardner

October 28, 2024 RALEIGH – A $20 bill lying on the ground outside a convenience store led Jerry Hicks of Banner Elk to a $1 million scratch-off win. “I found $20 in the parking lot outside the Speedway,” Hicks recalled. “I used that to buy the ticket.” Hicks, a master carpenter, took the $20 and walked into the Speedway on N.C. 105 in Boone on Tuesday evening and bought an Extreme Cash scratch-off. “They actually didn’t have the ticket I was looking for so I bought that one instead,” he laughed.

October 25,2024 The Avery County Board of Commissioners, County Manager, and other County officials, including those from Emergency Management and Law Enforcement have compiled a lengthy list of mandates and suggestions for its citizens, other residents, and land and business owners during the Hurricane Helene recovery efforts.Some will remain in place throughout the recovery while others are subject to revisions or complete changes. By Tim Gardner

Monday’s Updated Avery County Government Statistics from Hurricane Helene Effects

October 16, 2024 Avery County Government has updated statistics and related information daily about the destruction Hurricane (Tropical Storm) Helene caused when it struck the area nearly two weeks ago. The latest totals were confirmed as of Monday morning, October 14. There have been four fatalities confirmed in the county and three persons are currently missing. Fifty-eight (58) injuries have also been confirmed, including three (3) more to Emergency First Responders. Additionally, 202 people are staying in the two official shelters the county is offering for those who need them. By Tim Gardner

Avery County Public Schools to Tentatively Reopen on Wednesday, November 6

October 15, 2024 Dr. Dan Brigman, Superintendent of Avery County Schools, has announced that all of the county’s public schools–elementary, middle, and the high school–will tentatively reopen on Wednesday, November 6. School on that day will be on a two-hour delay with dismissal at regular school times. School buses will run on primary roads only. Elementary schools in the Avery Public School System are Riverside, Banner Elk, Freedom Trail, Newland, and Crossnore. Cranberry and Avery Middle are its two middle schools. Avery County High is its sole high school. By Tim Gardner

Wednesday Update from the Town of Banner Elk

October 10, 2024 Avery County and the Town of Banner Elk remain under a State of Emergency due to the extensive flooding and wind damage caused by Hurricane Helene. Messages received here may not be responded to. If your matter is urgent, please call Banner Elk Town Hall.

+ More Articles

High Country Communities Unite to Support Small Business Recovery

Avery County Woman Will Use $466,415 Win to Help People Affected by Helene

Elk River Helping Hands Concert Series to Support Hurricane Helene Relief Efforts in Western North Carolina

Avery County to Host Public Input Sessions on National Opioid Settlement Funding

Blue Ridge Energy and Sister Co-op Crews, Contractors Make Great Progress Today: 949 Left as of 4:30 pm

Blue Ridge Energy, Assisting Crews Continue 24/7 Restoration Efforts: Full Power Restoration Expected to Last into Weekend Due to Damage

Severe Damage: All Hands on Deck Effort to Restore Power – Multi-Day Outage Event Possible

Feeding Avery Families 2024 Review

AppHealthCare WIC Program Celebrates National Breastfeeding Award

Avery County Young Professionals Distributes $40,000 to Hurricane Recovery Grant Recipients

The High Country Real Estate Market of Alleghany, Ashe, Avery, and Watauga Counties Saw Sales Down 27.8% from Last November

North Carolina Department of Public Safety Announces Helene Disaster Assistance Extension

Ensemble Stage 2024 Holiday Show is Back On Track with First of Seven Shows Starting Tonight

Avery County Housing Recovery Effort Meeting

Retiring Avery County Commissioner Martha Hicks Honored at Avery Board Meeting