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Boone Town Council Passes Resolutions on Juneteenth, Voter ID Preparation, Discuss Other Topics

June 19, 2023 On Tuesday the Boone Town Council passed a number of resolutions including observing Juneteenth, voter ID procedure preparations and recognition of retiring Boone public works director Rick Miller. The council voted to recognize June 19th as Juneteenth, a federally-recognized holiday since 2021 that celebrates the emancipation of the slaves. On that date in 1865, a Union commander in Galveston, Texas, informed the local slave population that they were now free. The celebration started in Galveston but has spread nationally over the years.  By Zack Hill

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Packed House in Blowing Rock Applauds Cat Perry’s Announcement to Run For Town Council

June 13, 2023 Cat Perry was the first candidate to announce her intention to run for Blowing Rock Town Council. She publicly announced her candidacy Monday night at the Blowing Rock American Legion building. The plan was to start at 5:30 p.m., but the announcement was shared just a moment later because the capacity crowd waited as additional chairs were pulled out of the closet and set up.  By Sam Garrett

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Watauga County Republican Women’s Club May Meeting Announced

May 12, 2023 The Watauga County Republican Women’s Club (WCRWC) will have its next monthly meeting on Wednesday, May 31st at The Dan’l Boone Inn in Boone, NC. The meeting will begin at noon. All interested in furthering the Republican cause in The High Country are welcome to attend and are invited to join. Call 828-832-6864 for more information. The WCRWC meets the last Wednesday of each month. See us on Facebook and learn more.

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Despite Failed Proposal, the Majority of Blowing Rock Town Council Believe the Town Will Eventually Bury Power Lines

May 12, 2023 There was a lot of controversy before Tuesday’s vote on whether the city should bury the power lines in conjunction with the replacement of the water and sewer lines. The proposal was defeated with a 3-2 vote. High Country Press reached out to the town’s five council members for more information on why they voted as they did. All five council members were asked the same two questions.  By Kris Testori

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Board of Elections Discuss Proposed Budget Concerns, Voter ID guidelines, Redistricting

May 12, 2023 The Watauga County Board of Elections met on Tuesday, May 9, at the Watauga County Administration Building at 814 W. King Street. In attendance were board director Matthew Snyder, chairman Michael Behrent, secretary James Hill, and members Eric Eller and Matt Walpole with member Marv Williamsen attending via Zoom and county attorney Andrea Capua present at the meeting. By Zack Hill

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‘If We Sold Tickets, We Could Have Paid for our Underground Utilities’ Blowing Rock Mayor Charlie Sellers States at City Council Meeting

May 11, 2023 Blowing Rock residents packed city council chambers, taking advantage of the public comments session to express their opinions on the Underground Utilities Project in Blowing Rock. The Town of Blowing Rock was considering burying the electrical and communication lines along Main Street in conjunction with the water and sewer line replacement.  By Kris Testori

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Watauga County Commissioners Approve Several Project Bids in Meeting

May 4, 2023 The Watauga County Commissioners met on Tuesday, May 2, to discuss several agenda and business items. In attendance were commissioners Todd Castle, Braxton Eggers and Ray Russell along with vice-chairman Charlie Wallin and chairman Larry Turnbow. Robert Marsh, Watauga County maintenance director, presented the commissioners with several bids for county projects. By Zack Hill

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ARHS Responds to Concerns About Wellness Center Ending Memberships to Public

April 27, 2023 Rob Hudspeth, senior vice president for system advancement at Appalachian Regional Healthcare System, has responded to some of the concerns and controversy arising from last week’s packed county commissioners meeting where many community members voiced anger and sadness at the Broyhill Wellness Center ending memberships to community members. By Zack Hill

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Watauga Democrats Elect New Leadership

April 24, 2023 At its annual county convention on Saturday, the Watauga Democratic Party elected long-time activist Emily Bish as its new chair for 2023-2025. Bish has been a part of the party’s executive board as get-out-the-vote coordinator and has also served as precinct chair of the Watauga Precinct and as 2nd Vice Chair of the county party, among other roles.

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Predatory Practices of Parking Enforcement Agencies Comes Under Scrutiny of Town Council

April 19, 2023 As Boone continues to grow in size, population and businesses, parking has become harder and harder to come by. And though there is a necessity for enforcing parking regulations for residents and businesses alike, there is a growing consensus in the town that the practices of those parking enforcement companies who tow and boot vehicles are becoming increasingly predatory. By Zack Hill

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Boone Town Council Meets For Regular Session, Addresses Antisemitic Incident At Temple Of The High Country

February 27, 2023 The Boone Town Council held a regular meeting session on Tuesday, Feb. 22, at 6 p.m. at the Town Council chambers at 1500 Blowing Rock Road. Eric Woolridge of Destination by Design, a local planning and development firm working with the council and county via the Imagine Watauga Initiative to create and enhance various parts of Boone’s public lands and other assets, presented several ideas and proposals ranging from work on the Greenway to creating a green space downtown above a parking deck. By Zack Hill

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Boone Town Council Meeting Filled With Progress On Projects

February 9, 2023 BOONE, NC – The Boone Town Council and Mayor held a regular, open meeting session on Wednesday, Feb. 9 at the Town Council chambers at 1500 Blowing Rock Road. In attendance were Mayor Tim Futrelle, Council members Todd Carter, Dalton George, Becca Nenow, Virginia Roseman, Mayor Pro Tem Edie Tubman, Town Manager Amy Davis and Town Attorney Allison Meade. The meeting started with the announcement of several vacancies on town boards including the boards of adjustments, human relations, and several boards that had positions available to ASU students including sustainability and human relations. By Zack Hill

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Questions and Answers About Your “Voter History” in North Carolina

November 16, 2022 RALEIGH, NC – The NC State Board of Elections and county boards of elections are responding to requests from Election Day voters about why their “voter history” records are not yet updated to reflect the fact that they voted on Election Day – November 8, 2022. We believe this is the direct result of certain groups spreading false and misleading information about this process in an attempt to sow distrust in our elections.

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Watauga County Board of Commissioner Candidates: In Their Own Words

October 26, 2022 < On Friday, September 30th the candidates for Watauga County Board of Commissioners received an email from the Blowing Rock Civic Association (BRCA) asking them to give their answer to three questions. The BRCA asked candidates to respond no later than Saturday, October 8th. Five of the six candidates responded. The candidates were asked about county-wide expansion of 24/7 ambulance service, the current modified ad valorem sales tax allocation method, and the top three priorities for Watauga County in the next two years.

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2022 Early Voting in Avery County Begins October 20th; Voting Regulations, Preview, and Sample Ballot Listed

October 17, 2022 The time period for early voting in Avery County for the 2022 General Election begins on Thursday, October 20 and runs through Saturday, November 5. Saturdays and Sundays are excluded, except for Saturday, November 5 when early voting will also be open. All Early Voting in the county must be done at the Avery County Senior Citizens Center, located at 165 Schultz Street in downtown Newland.  By Tim Gardner

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LETTERS / Is Newsela a Trojan Horse? You Decide

September 9, 2022 Letters to the Editor. By TERRY OLDHAM / After reading Jay Fenwick’s response to Mark Murphy, I remained curious with regards to his endorsement of Newsela, the teaching supplement purchased by the Watauga Board of Education. I was neither for nor against Newsela and expected in advance to find both positive and negative aspects. Here’s what I found…

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2022 Avery Primary Election Results… Henley, Burleson, Aldridge, Young, Jr., Singleton and Edwards Win County Races

May 18, 2022 Three first-time political candidates were the top vote-getters in their respective races to highlight Tuesday’s primary in Avery County. Mike Henley won the Sheriff’s race. He received 2,843 votes. Lee Buchanan got 1077; and Russell Carver received 173. With three seats open in the County Commissioners race, Robert Burleson received the highest number of votes with 1,963. Incumbents Dennis Aldridge and Wood Hall (Woodie) Young, Jr. followed with the next highest voting numbers.  Aldridge got 1,853 votes and Young, Jr. 1,812. In the non-partisan Board of Education race, winners to fill the two seats open were: Randy Singleton, who got the most votes with 1,878, and incumbent Patricia (Pat) Edwards with 1,355.  By Tim Gardner

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Candidate Filing for 2022 Primary Elections Set to Resume February 24

January 12, 2022 Candidate filing for North Carolina’s 2022 primary elections, as well as rescheduled municipal elections, will resume at 8 a.m. Thursday, February 24, and end at noon on Friday, March 4, under an order issued Tuesday by the Superior Court of Wake County. The order (PDF) by a three-judge panel upheld state legislative and congressional district maps being challenged in redistricting-related lawsuits. “State Board of Elections staff will immediately begin preparing for the continuation of the candidate filing period, including securing a location to ensure the health and safety of staff and candidates,” said Karen Brinson Bell, State Board executive director. “We will provide all details to the public as soon as possible at NCSBE.gov and through an announcement distributed to the media.” County and municipal candidate filing also will resume on February 24 and take place at the county board of elections offices. Contact the specific county office for hours of operation and COVID-19 protocols.

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Candidate Filing Period Comes to an End, Primary Elections May 8; See Who Is Running Here


Feb. 28, 2018.  The candidate filing period has ended as of February 28, 2018 at noon, and all names are final for this year’s primary elections in North Carolina, according to the Watauga County Board of Elections. Statewide primary elections on May 8 will be voters’ first opportunity to cast their ballots and decide party candidates for the general election on Nov. 6. In Watauga County, the democratic primary ballot will feature one race, while the republican primary ballot will include candidates for five different offices. The Democratic Party’s primary ballot will include only one race: a vote between Jenny Marshall and DD Adams for candidacy as U.S. House Representative in the fifth district. On the republican ballot are three candidates for U.S. House Representative: the incumbent Virginia Foxx, Dillon Gentry and Cortland Meader. By Luke Weir

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Supreme Court Makes Minor State Election Districts Changes; No Mountain Counties Affected

Feb. 21, 2018.    United States Supreme Court Chief Justice John Roberts ruled last week that the state’s election districts will remain basically the same, according to Republican State Representative Josh Dobson, who serves the 85th District of Avery, Mitchell and McDowell counties. North Carolina’s GOP lawmakers had requested an official Supreme Court stay concerning changing the districts for this year’s state elections, asking that the districts not undergo any changes. Chief Justice Roberts did change districts affecting primarily the Piedmont county of Guilford and the Eastern counties of Bladen and Wayne, all of which are heavily-populated. But the Chief Justice left the remainder of the state’s districts intact. No mountain counties were affected with the ruling. However, the state’s prosecutorial district that includes Avery, Watauga, Mitchell, Yancey and Madison counties changed in number from the 24th to the 35th. Dobson declared the latest Supreme Court ruling “A victory for our state.” By Tim Gardner

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Incumbent Foxx, Newcomer Marshall File for Same Seat in U.S. House of Representatives

Feb. 14, 20187. Virginia Foxx, republican United States House Representative for North Carolina’s 5th Congressional District, filed for re-election Tuesday with the state board of elections in Raleigh, making her the second candidate to enter the race behind democrat Jenny Marshall, who filed Monday. North Carolina’s 5th Congressional District stretches across the northwest part of the state, including Watauga, Ashe and Avery counties. Foxx has been the district’s incumbent representative since 2005. By Luke Weir

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Avery County Election Update: Eight File as Candidates for 2018 So Far

Feb. 13, 20187.  This year will feature elections for county, state and national offices. At press time, eight have filed for offices that Avery County voters will elect or help elect. Filing for most county and district offices and some for state and federal offices began Monday, February 12 at 12:00 noon and runs through Wednesday, February 28 at 12:00 noon. Avery County offices open this year include: Commissioners, Board of Education, Sheriff, Clerk of Court and Soil and Water Supervisor. There are three seats open on the County Commission. The two candidates with the most votes will serve four-year terms, while the candidate with the third most votes will serve a two-year term. Two seats are open on the Board of Education. The winners for Sheriff, Clerk of Court, Board of Education and Soil and Water will all serve four-year terms By Tim Gardner

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Races Begin in 2018 North Carolina Elections


Feb 12, 2018. Local government hopefuls lined up outside the Watauga County Board of Elections to file as candidates in the 2018 North Carolina state and local elections Monday at noon. Filing began Monday for the following offices: three positions on the board of commissioners, three positions on the board of education, clerk of superior court, district attorney, and sheriff. After the first day of filing, 14 candidates have signed up to run for public office in 2018, as follows: By Luke Weir

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